Time With The Parents

Outside the Cummings house, William Cummings had moved his car from the garage to the curb and was already getting inside.

As Nick joined him on the passenger’s side, William asked: “So, what exactly are your intentions towards my daughter?”

Completely flustered by the question, Nick stammered a response: “I… I plan to take her to dinner with my parents tomorrow and then to a dance. Have not thought beyond that, sir.”

“Do you love her? The older man asked as his car started up.

“I, uh, really, I have no idea. I like her, like hanging out with her, and she’s pretty. Have not really thought about it beyond that.”

“Good. She tells me you used to read Ultimate Warrior?”

Surprised but happy to change the subject, Nick replied: “Uh, yeah. My first issue was the one with the green guy in the old school pinstripe suit and the high-tech machine gun on the cover.”

“Biragon! The first story I sold to Big Adventure!” His ride exclaimed.

“I did not know that!” Nick replied. “Getting the second issue of that story led to me meeting one of my three best friends, Peter. We were both reaching for the last copy on the shelf and it really looked like we were going to come to blows over who would get to buy it when the clerk called over ‘Hey, Pete, when I saw how it was selling, I set aside your copy. It's here.’ We both had a laugh over that, I found a new friend, and he discovered the power of a pull-list.”

William laughed. “That’s awesome. Do you still have those issues? I could sign them for you?”

“I should still have them. Need to look. Stuck with the series until O’Neil passed the power over to Kenjiro. It was the first story that did not follow the usual formula and made me see - and get a little sick of - that formula, to be honest. I did not want to get to like this new guy, and see the same thing every month, so I dropped it.”

“‘Passing the Torch’ was the only issue I ever plotted without scripting - and then I wound up editing it as I got promoted," William reminisced.

“That's interesting. Ah, there's dad, watering the lawn,” Nick said, pointing.

The car pulled up to the curb, and William leaned out - “Hey, Hakama, got a minute?”

“I just have to take care of that flower bed and I’ll be done, Bill,” Hakama Sato replied. He gave his son a quick hug and opened the door for him, then walked over and turned the hose on the flowers he’d indicated. After two minutes of gentle misting, he shut off the hose, and while winding it up walked over to where William Cummings was leaning against his own car.

Cummings opened with: “I hear you are interviewing the pilots who encountered this strange new protector?”

Hakama laughed. “The guy the other outlets are calling a real Ultimate Warrior? Yeah - though I think, unless he really did blow himself up fighting Lord Kao yesterday, Protector may be a better name. Heck, I saw the video - he’s a decent strategist and seems to know martial arts but is not an ‘ultimate’ anything, definitely not a warrior!”

“I kind of got that impression, too, like he’s really new at this and just learning the ropes,” William replied, with a small laugh. “Well, anyway, it seems your boy is now dating my daughter.”

“Yes, I was wondering if that would happen. She seemed interested when we were at that barbecue but … I was beginning to suspect he might be gay, to be honest,” Sato replied distractedly.

“We will see how things develop, but he’s a good kid. If I had to pick someone for her to date, he’d be in my top ten, maybe top five choices.”

Hakama peered at him for a moment. “I would never pick someone for my son to date. My parents did that with me. While I was trying to get myself drunk enough to pretend to like the troll that they thought was perfect, a beautiful woman who some idiot had stood up sat down beside me, and we began talking. My parents almost disowned me over that, until they learned she was from a very successful family. They never forgave her for being white, but did learn to like her and to forgive me for falling for her when we got married a year later.”

“I forgot about that; Carrie and I were on our honeymoon I believe?”

“I think so, yeah,” Hakama replied, just remembering that detail. “Anyway, you and your wife have no objections to us taking her to dinner tomorrow, then?”

“Not one, old friend.” William replied.

“This might be a little harder - he doesn't know yet, but Lenora bought him a car. Do you have a problem with him driving her to the dance?”

After a moment's consideration, William asked: “Does the car have full safety features?”

“Absolutely. I insisted.”

“Then no, I … well, he is on a provisional license?”

“Right - cannot leave the city without a licensed driver in the car.”

“Then no, I have no objections at all,” Sandra’s father replied. “I hope things go well tomorrow, for both of them,” he added, and extended a hand to Hakama.

Sato shook his hand as he said: “I feel the same. Maybe we can all get together this weekend, or next. Lenora would like that.”

“Maybe. You have my number, right? Call tomorrow afternoon if you can and we’ll see if we can set something up!”

With that, William jumped back in his car and sped off, as Hakama went inside to spend some time with his son.

***

The next day passed similarly to the one before, except the chatter was split between three things - the giant, the upcoming dance, and the two sporting events to happen over the weekend - Saturday was the big football (or ‘soccer’) game against the San Diego Washington High School team, and Sunday was an ‘American Football' game against the Fresno Raiders, out of Lucas High School. Nick was able to tune out most of it, giving the dance a fraction of his attention and his schoolwork the bulk of it. He had his twice a week Current Affairs class instead of Language Arts today, and his once-a-week Computer Operations and Programming course instead of physical education. At the end of the day, his closest friends - Dan, Peter, Judy, Karen and Sandra - had all gathered at his locker to discuss the dance, and for Dan to once again try to get the rest of the group to cheer him on in Sunday’s game. Peter and his girlfriend had no interest in sports at all, and Nicholas was unable to commit due to the playing field being in the Old City and him being able to get there was dependent on his parents. Sandra said that her parents were probably going so she and her sister might be there as well. As they got to this point in the discussion, they had exited the building. Peter put a hand on Nick’s shoulder: “dude, is that your mom over there?”

Nick followed his gaze and saw not just his mom, but his dad as well. They were standing in front of what looked like a new, light blue air car. Nick sighed and walked over to where his parents were waiting. As he had expected, and a little bit dreaded, his mom hurried up to him, hugged him, and said “Happy belated birthday, Nick.”

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me. Did you guys get a new car?”

His mom smiled and looked over at his dad. “In a way, son,” his dad replied.

His mom then burst in with: “this car is YOURS Nick!”

His eyes opened wide at this. “Do we have room for three cars, though?” He asked, trying to keep his excitement from showing.

His dad laughed. “I returned my crappy company car and got my motorbike out of storage. It fits the ‘gonzo reporter' image better, anyway,” his dad replied with a smile.

“Thank you, both, but I don’t get my full license for two months,” he said, as he dared to approach his new car, afraid it would disappear if he actually touched it.

“Under a provisional license, you can drive on controlled main streets within the New City. You may not go on uncontrolled streets, nor across the bridges until you have a full license, unless in the company of a fully licensed driver,” his mother said. So, Nick realized he could go from home to school, and to visit his friends and his mom’s parents in the far side of the city - and could probably finally get a job, as long as it was not in a very out of the way place.

He finally let his excitement show. “So, this is really mine?” He asked his parents, just as his friends caught up with him.

His dad handed him one of the car’s key fobs, as his mother said: “Yes, it is really yours. I picked it out for you, hope the color is good?”

“It’s perfect,” Nick said, noticing his friends there. “Guys, this is MY car!”

They were more excited than he was - Dan was the only member of the group with his own car before this moment, and he rarely used it. They began asking for rides and such, but his mom held up her hands: “Right now, Nicholas is going to prove to us, his parents, that we did not make a mistake in getting this for him by driving us home. There we will get ready to go out, and, if he has not scared us too much yet, he will drive us over to pick up Sandra and head out to dinner. My car is actually at the restaurant, so when we are done eating, he will take Sandra to the dance, and then home at the end of the night. If he has not wrecked the car or gotten it taken away from him, then he can start taking his other friends around, over the weekend.”

Peter leaned close to Nick and quietly said: “she runs your life like she runs her company.”

Nick laughed: “at the moment, both seem to be doing well so maybe she’s onto something.”

Peter laughed and slapped him on the back. Sandra had walked up to the car. “My favorite color!” She exclaimed.

“Mine too,” Nick said. “Well, any shade of blue and some greens. But I like this one. And silver seats too - see?”

She clapped her hands together and smiled at him. “I can’t wait for you to pick me up tonight. I have to head home and get ready. See you in, what, an hour?”

“That should be about right,” Nick’s dad said.